After half a month of plowing, Qin Xiaoman had worked himself black from the sun at both ends of the day. Of the fifty acres at home, excluding the land already prepared at the start, the remaining forty acres had all been fully turned over.
The acre barely spanned over four hundred square meters, but working it continuously was exhausting. Rain or shine, they never stopped. By the time they finished and returned home that night, their steps were still brisk despite the long day.
The night air was gentle as Qin Xiaoman led the ox ahead, having put in extra hours to finish the last third of the field.
“No need to plow again. You’ve worked so hard these past days. Tomorrow, you can sleep in and we can cook some meat for a change,” Qin Xiaoman muttered, but no reply came. Turning around, he noticed Du Heng was missing.
Panicked, he pulled on the ox’s rope and hurried back.
“Darling?”
“Du Heng!”
“I’m here.”
Du Heng smiled, climbing up from the edge of the embankment, hands clutching a handful of wild peach and plum blossoms.
March had arrived; the air was already fragrant with flowers, and the chill of the late-spring night only intensified their scent. Du Heng had noticed early in the day that the wild peach and plum trees along the slopes and embankments were budding beautifully, some already in bloom. The scene across the fields was picturesque.
Qin Xiaoman looked at Du Heng, who outshone even the blossoms with his presence. “Usually it’s the village girls who pick flowers. Why are you so eager?”
“I saw some old, chipped pots at home and thought, why not bring a handful of flowers to brighten the house?”
Qin Xiaoman gently caught Du Heng’s hand. “Alright, let’s head home!”
They walked back together under the darkening sky.
Exhausted from the day, they bathed and got into bed early, expecting to fall asleep instantly. But having finished plowing, and with no need to rise early the next day, sleep eluded Qin Xiaoman. He turned to Du Heng.
“Shall we try for a child tonight?”
Du Heng, gazing at the newly-arranged pink blossoms by the window, brought his attention back to Qin Xiaoman.
“Sure.”
He sat up, removing his clothes with practiced ease before lying back down beside Qin Xiaoman. The lamp still burned softly. Qin Xiaoman observed the smooth, pale, well-shaped skin, the clear lines of his collarbone. When he first brought Du Heng home, his thin, frail frame hadn’t been particularly attractive. But after resting and recovering from his injured foot, gaining some flesh from proper meals and the recent labor in the fields, Du Heng’s body had become firm and well-proportioned.
Their closeness allowed Qin Xiaoman to notice the warm, fresh scent lingering from Du Heng’s bath. Even after the day’s work, he meticulously followed the methods he had observed over ten years regarding conceiving children. Yet tonight, despite Du Heng’s usual cooperation, he felt an inexplicable dissatisfaction—a restless fire burning in his chest.
He leaned closer. “When will we have a child?”
Du Heng’s brow twitched; he knew that if they rushed, there would be no child tonight. But seeing Qin Xiaoman’s wide, innocent eyes, he couldn’t bear to make him anxious.
“Don’t worry. We just got married.”
“I want a child with you,” Qin Xiaoman insisted.
Du Heng smiled, smoothing back the soft hair by Qin Xiaoman’s ear. “You’re still like a child yourself. We’ll take it slow.”
Though his own heart had raced at first, after their wedding night, Du Heng had calmed down. Qin Xiaoman needed guidance, especially after the exhausting days in the fields. It wasn’t the right moment to dwell on these things.
He wanted to explain it all properly when the time was right.
Qin Xiaoman sighed, long and slow.
“Not happy?”
Seeing Qin Xiaoman’s expression, Du Heng recognized it as playful sulking. He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Qin Xiaoman felt his heart soar; the soft touch lingered just long enough to leave him wanting more.
“This is the first time you’ve kissed me with the lamp on,” Qin Xiaoman murmured.
“Do you like it?”
He grinned, wrapping his arms around Du Heng’s neck and pressing close, teasing him like a playful child.
The next morning, they slept until fully rested. Outside, daylight had already brightened the day. Qin Xiaoman went to the field to pick vegetables while Du Heng stayed home kneading dough. They didn’t need to rush to work the fields today. Qin Xiaoman gathered small spring onions and fresh coriander, and even the newly-sown baby bok choy had grown two inches high, ready for transplanting. Picking some tender leaves for their noodles was perfect.
“Qiu Yue.”
He called to the girl closest to their fields.
“Brother Man, you’re picking vegetables too?” she replied.
Qin Xiaoman nodded and, without lingering in conversation, focused on the seedlings. Then an idea struck him.
“Qiu Yue, I heard from the villagers that you can read pulses?”
The girl laughed softly. “No, not really. I just learned a little by watching my father treat villagers when I was little. Only minor things.”
Qin Xiaoman hurried over, looking around to make sure no one was watching. “Could you check me, then? See if I’m ready for a child?”
Qiu Yue was surprised, having never encountered such directness. In rural villages, people were more modest, especially the older, married folk. But these two were close in age. She blinked in surprise.
“You just got married… are you serious?”
Soon he realized—though he had only just married, Qin Xiaoman’s husband had come to stay at the house at the end of last year, so it wasn’t entirely strange.
“Please, just check for me!”
Cui Qiu Yue didn’t say more. She wasn’t permitted to give full medical treatment, but checking for a pregnancy pulse was harmless.
She took Qin Xiaoman’s wrist in her hand. After a brief pause, she looked up at him carefully. “Not yet.”
Though expected, Qin Xiaoman visibly slumped.
Seeing this, Cui Qiu Yue said gently, “You only just got married. Don’t worry—there are plenty of couples in the village who only have children after a year or two. You’re just at the beginning.”
Qin Xiaoman didn’t speak, quietly rolling back the sleeve he had pushed up so high. Cui Qiu Yue’s sharp eyes noticed a red spot the size of a mole on his wrist.
“Brother Man, your pregnancy mark is still there. How could you possibly have a child? Are you teasing me?”
Qin Xiaoman looked at the red spot on his wrist. Since a girl had noticed, he wasn’t embarrassed and decided he would finally get to the bottom of it.
“Is that so? That’s why I don’t have a child yet, and the pregnancy mark is still here.”
Cui Qiu Yue stiffened. “It’s not that the mark disappears only after conception… it’s…”
Her words faltered; a young, unmarried girl explaining this was awkward.
“Come on, say it!” he pressed.
“It disappears once you’ve consummated the marriage. Brother Man, have you and your husband… been together properly?”
“Of course! We sleep in the same room every night since we married!”
Cui Qiu Yue’s face flamed red. “Then… then maybe…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say that Du Heng might be unable to.
Qin Xiaoman, growing anxious, grabbed her hand. “You’re a doctor—stop beating around the bush!”
“Have you performed the marital rites with your husband?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Qin Xiaoman slapped his forehead. “That day at the banquet he drank too much. We never did the ceremonial cup!”
“…That’s not it!”
“Then… did you do anything else?”
“No, we were both tired from the day. Naturally, we went to bed early.”
Cui Qiu Yue stiffened again. “If you haven’t performed the marital rites, the pregnancy mark won’t disappear. Forget having children, it won’t go away.”
“Then… how does one do it?” Qin Xiaoman asked, puzzled.
“I… I’m unmarried, how would I know?” Cui Qiu Yue blushed furiously. She fiddled with her fingers.
“You need to go ask your husband yourself!”
Qin Xiaoman replied, “He’s shy with his injured foot. I can barely help him to the latrine. How would he know these things?”
“Men naturally know. Just ask him.” Cui Qiu Yue’s face was still red. “I… I’ll go now.”
Qin Xiaoman sighed. At least he now understood the reason, though it landed him in another kind of quandary. Seeing Cui Qiu Yue about to leave, he quickly called her back and plucked a handful of baby bok choy from the field.
“Thank you. But please don’t tell anyone about this.”
Cui Qiu Yue nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
Being embarrassed by such a private matter, she couldn’t bring herself to speak further—but she accepted the vegetables. Her family of three had little labor for farming, so these fresh greens were precious. Though her father earned money with his skills, her mother’s health was poor and they lived tightly.
Qin Xiaoman had been fretting over his pregnancy mark for days. He couldn’t reveal it to others, and the anxiety nearly consumed him. Seeing Cui Qiu Yue today relieved only half of the weight from his chest.
He ran back to the kitchen, bursting in on Du Heng. “How do you perform the marital rites?”